William h



@niet mes @met @from i IMPROVED MAGI'IINE FOR PRBSSING BRIGKS.

dit clgstnh referat tu iuA titte ttttets' uttnt amt indicarmi nf its tante.

TO ALL `WHOM IT MAYCONCEEN: i

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H CooMBs, of Fort-Wayne, in the county of Allen, and State of IndianaL have invented a nenandnsefnlv Machine for/ Pressing Bricks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,-n whicl1' v Figure l is a plan'view of my machine, the operative parts being shown in the position they 'occupy when the machine compl-etes its pressureonthe brick, and l 'Figure 2 is a longitudinal "section through lineare, iig. 1, the operative parts being in the position they occupy just as the pressed brick has `bee removed from the mould.

l This machine is designed and adapted to press bricks which have been previously moulded, and which have become partially dried, j 'I A is thev frame which' supportslthe loperative parts of the machine. Bisthe main shaft, by the rotary motion of which all the operative parts of .the machine are-moved. C-is a crankon the vend of said main shaft, connected to a pitman, D. rE is a cross-head, sliding. between guide-ways, E', and operating a plunger or piston, P, being connected theretob'y piston-rod, jo. P is a piston, which moves back to remove the pressed brick from the mould ,but'which remains stationary in the position shown in iig. 1', while the brick is receiving the pressure. M is the vbed-plate, which forms thebottom'of the mould-box m, and on which the bricks are fed to and delivered from the mould. From thelback side of said pistqn P an arm, p', projects through the mould-box, vmoving in a slot orgroove in the backing-block O', andtermiuating in a. depending rigid stirrup, h. Under the mould, and passing through snidstirrup, is a thin lat`ch-shaft, n, which is connected t0 the cross-head at e, and is movedbackand forth by said crossghead. A tooth, n', on the lower side of said latch-shaft, engages with the lower part of' the stirrup L as the piston P makes its back movement, and carries back piston P to the position shown in fig. 2, thus removing the pressed brick from the lmould;` at which point`its further motion is checked by a stop, y', and the inclined lower side of the latch-shaft n riding on a cross-bar, r, raises said shaft so'as to release the tooth n', and allow the shaft to slide in the stirrup until thecross-head has completed its back stroke. O represents a brick in the machine after it has completed the pressure, and O a block of rubber'or other slightly elastic substance, which forms a backing tovpiston' IV-during the pressure upon the brick. This .backing should be suiiiciently yielding to allow the. machine to accommodate itself to slight variations in the thick; ness of the bricks, and being removable, the machine maybe-adjusted to press bricks of different thicknesses by substituting a thicker or thinner block. Q is an eccentric onthe main shaft B connected to a. pitman, Q',

by .a cam-yoke,=b ut which I prefer to connect by a square' 'foam-frame, so as to givethe'pitman a reciprocating motion in the same plane. Said pitman Q operates a vertical vibrating lever, the upper end of which is shown at g, and a slot in `fh`e-vibrating end of'this lever `embraces the end vof a bent lever, L, and imparts to it an oscillating motion, turning onits fulcrum Z. T is a table on which the bricks are fed tothe machine, andT/ the table upon which the pressed bricks are delivered. These tables should be on a level with the bed-plate M, or mere lateral extensions thereof. On the table T is a sliding feeder, z', which is moved back and forth in the direction of the slot s, by the movement of the bent lever L under the table, and a. connectinglpin moving in said slot. Instead, however, of said slot being curved, as shown in the drawings, it should be perfectly straight, the caonnectng-pin having the necessary play lin a slot in the lever L. The feeder i completes its back motion about the time that piston P is'complc'tng its forward stroke, and remains stationary until suid piston has travelled back sonic distance, thus allowing time to place abrick in front of it. This intermittent motioiiof the feeder is effected by a slotted connection of the bent lever L with the vibrating' lever g'.

The bricks to be pressed aredcposited on the feed-table Ti A tender places them, one at a time, on their edges, infront of the feeder t', and against a guide, g. A little before the piston P begins its forward move= r'neut, thc feeder z' moves towards the mould, and shovcs the brick immediately in front of said piston before it reaches the mould. l The piston P pushes the brick into the mould, both pistons and the brick moving together until piston P reaches the backing O', where it stops, wliilethe piston P moves on till it.con1plet`cs the pressure of the brick. As piston P reverses its motion, P', by means heretofore described, is-carried back far enough to remove thc brick fairly out of the mould, and there stops. Another brick is then placed 'before feeder e' by the tender, and as this brick is pushed forward, in front of the piston, it pushes the brick last previously pressed ouY to the Vtable T', whence it is' immediately removed by a. tender on that side, who deposits it .on a barrow.

The machine may be operated by a hand-crank, or by any suitable power. I1" operated by hand, however,

there should be a iiy-whecl on the main shaft, with one side weighted, to give additional power at the time the v pist-on is making its pressure.

I do not claim a plunger or piston operated by a. crank to press the `brick in the mould, as vthis, in and of itself, is not new, having been used in machines otherwise constructed and operating very diferently from mine; lbut What I do claim as my invention, and desire to 'secure by LettersY Patent, is

1. The improved brick-pressing machine, constructed and operating substantially as herein described.

2. In combinatiouuwith the mould inwhich the bricks are pressed, and a plunger or piston operated by u. crank and pitman topr'ess the brick in the mould, I claim the movable back piston P', moved by themeans and in the manner substantially as herein described, to remove the pressed bricks from the mould.

3. In combination with sV plungerV or piston, operated by a erank'land pitman to press the bricks in the mould, I claim the feeder z', operating in the m'anner and by themeans substantially asfherein described, and far the purpdse set forth. Y

4. in combination with the mould, and a pressing-plunger or piston, I claim the elastic backing O', substantially as and for the purpose-set forth. i

WM. H. COOMBS.

Witnesses:

Jenn Hoven, D. C. Risi-1ER. 

